Staff sergeant and WO2 pay 2026/27

Take-home pay a month

£3,374.81

£40,497.70 a year from a salary of £51,615.00

Your details

Where you pay income tax EnglandWalesNorthern IrelandScotland

Pay level OR7-01 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-01 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-01 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-01 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-02 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-02 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-02 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-02 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-03 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-03 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-03 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-03 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-04 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-04 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-04 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-04 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-05 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-05 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-05 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-05 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-06 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-06 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-06 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-06 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-07 / OR8-01 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-07 / OR8-01 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-07 / OR8-01 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-07 / OR8-01 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-08 / OR8-02 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-08 / OR8-02 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-08 / OR8-02 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-08 / OR8-02 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-09 / OR8-03 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-09 / OR8-03 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-09 / OR8-03 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-09 / OR8-03 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-10 / OR8-04 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-10 / OR8-04 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-10 / OR8-04 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-10 / OR8-04 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-11 / OR8-05 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-11 / OR8-05 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-11 / OR8-05 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-11 / OR8-05 — Trade Supplement 4OR7-12 / OR8-06 — Trade Supplement 1OR7-12 / OR8-06 — Trade Supplement 2OR7-12 / OR8-06 — Trade Supplement 3OR7-12 / OR8-06 — Trade Supplement 4

Share of full time %

Percent of a full-time post

Student loan NonePlan 1Plan 2Plan 4 (Scotland)Plan 5 Postgraduate loan as well

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Where your salary goes

	A year
Salary	£51,615.00
Income tax	£8,074.40
National Insurance	£3,042.90
Take-home pay	£40,497.70

How this was worked out

1. Salary: £51,615
2. Personal allowance: £12,570. Payroll applies it as tax code 1257L, which gives £12,579 of tax-free pay.
3. Taxable income: £51,615 − £12,579 = £39,036
4. Basic rate: £37,700 × 20% = £7,540
5. Higher rate: £1,336 × 40% = £534.40
6. Income tax: £8,074.40
7. National Insurance: (£50,270 − £12,570) × 8% = £3,016, plus (£51,615 − £50,270) × 2% = £26.90, total £3,042.90
8. Take-home pay: £51,615 − £8,074.40 − £3,042.90 = £40,497.70

The government accepted the AFPRB's 2026 Armed Forces pay award recommendations in full.

• Tax year: 2026/27. Tax code: 1257L. Income tax nation: England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Pension: No Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 member contribution is taken from salary. Student loan: none unless selected in the calculator.
• Full-time basic pay, for a full tax year. Money is rounded to the nearest penny.

OR7 and OR8 ranks are paid £51,615 to £65,249 in 2026/27. Once income tax and National Insurance are paid, about £3,374.81 to £4,033.79 a month is left.

Pay scale: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a27f8383b15d05a7ce31f52/AFPRB_55th_Report_2026.pdf

The ranks on this scale

OR7 is Staff Sergeant in the Army, Colour Sergeant in the Royal Marines, Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, and Flight Sergeant or Chief Technician in the RAF. OR8 is Warrant Officer Class 2 in the Army, the Royal Marines and the Royal Navy. The RAF has no OR8 rank.

The pay tables run the two grades together. The lower OR7 levels come first, and the upper OR7 levels share their rows with the OR8 levels, making 12 rows in all.

Higher rate tax at every level

Every salary on this scale, on every trade supplement, is above the higher rate threshold for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each step up the scale is taxed at the higher rate, so a rise leaves a little under sixty pence in each pound once National Insurance is counted.

The trade supplements are furthest apart around this part of the scale. At the lowest OR7 level, the top supplement pays several thousand pounds more than the bottom one.

Child benefit and other effects

At these salaries some families meet the High Income Child Benefit Charge, which applies once one partner's income passes a set limit. It is not part of this calculation. The take-home pay calculator gives the same deductions for any salary, which helps when comparing a civilian offer.

Questions

Is WO2 pay the same as the top of OR7?

Yes, each OR8 level shares a row with one of the upper OR7 levels, so the salary is the same.

Does the RAF have a Warrant Officer Class 2?

No, the rank glossary shows no RAF rank at OR8.

What is the monthly take-home at OR7 and OR8?

Roughly £3,374.81 to £4,033.79 in 2026/27, depending on level and supplement.